After many long months of waiting, it seems summer has finally arrived. But blink and you’ll miss it, so take advantage of the fleeting good weather and move your workouts outside. The benefits are plenty, and the sun tan is a pleasant bonus.
Here’s 6 reasons why working out outside is good for both body and soul.
It Could Make You Smarter
Immersing yourself in greenery can have a fast-acting effect on your mental acuity. Various studies have demonstrated improvements in concentration, clarity and even creativity after less than an hour spent outdoors. In fact, when researchers at the University of Chicago tasked a group of people with answering a set of test questions before and after a 50-minute stroll outside, they scored 20% higher on average afterwards.
There’s more to it than just vitamin D (although there’s that, too). Scientists have found that soaking up the sun’s rays can energise T-cells, which play a central role in the immune system. Skin exposure to the low levels of blue light found in sunlight causes T-cells to move faster, helping them protect the body from infection, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found.
Your Blood Pressure Will Double Drop
A few minutes spent admiring the scenery outside your door – from a lap of the park with your dog to stretching in your back garden – can help stabilise or even lower blood pressure. Plenty of studies have shown that just looking at nature can help switch on our parasympathetic nervous systems, lowering stress levels and heart rate. Adding a workout into the mix could help to compound the benefits.
You’ll Mute That Negative Self Talk
There’s evidence to suggest that people who spend more time outside are likely to have better body image than those who favour indoor hobbies. One study of 400 people, led by researchers at Anglia Ruskin University, found that the more time people spent in rural areas or by the beach, the more likely they were to have a positive perception of their appearance. Because try worrying about your belly when gunning downhill on a bike at 17mph.
It’ll Help You Outpace Anxiety, Too
There’s plenty of proof that green spaces can be beneficial for your emotional wellbeing. But research suggests that tapping into local ‘blue spaces’ – such as jogging by a river, lake or along the seafront – is just as good, if not better, for your mental health. Studies show that regularly spending time by the water can counteract symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. And you don’t even need to jump in…
You Might Train Harder
Training outdoors can make the same workouts feel less strenuous and more enjoyable, according to one study in the Journal Of Sport And Exercise Psychology. When comparing treadmill sloggers with those who took their run outside, researchers found that the latter group found the workout easier (despite hitting the same distance) and felt far more likely to continue exercising in the future.
Robert Hicks is the multiplatform director at Men’s Health UK. A Sport Science graduate and author of three fitness books published by Bloomsbury, Robert has written numerous articles on health, fitness and nutrition and created several documentaries, most notably Britain’s Steroid Epidemic and The Faces of Attempted Suicide. Robert has been working at Men’s Health UK for seven years.